Revolutionary, even
by Gedankenflug
Summary: The Second Wizarding War solidified Slytherin's reputation as the House of 'evil' witches and wizards. Life has become increasingly difficult for former Slytherins. So, when Damian Greengrass is sorted into Slytherin, he puts all his effort into a revolutionary idea – abolishing the Hogwarts Houses altogether. Next Generation – 2017-2024.


Damian marched into the Great Hall next to his cousin Scorpius. He was awestruck by the sheer measurements of the hall – the name was definitely justified – and when he looked up at the ceiling, he could see countless stars on a cloudless sky. His father Hector had told him how he had entered the hall for the first time, many years ago, and Damian was sure that he would always remember this moment as well.

The old hat that was to do the Sorting looked a lot less impressive than he had imagined. It broke into a song, but Damian didn't really listen to it. He was getting nervous. He remembered a conversation his parents had had with the Zabinis when they had visited for dinner a few weeks ago.

"Anna Yaxley didn't get a job at the ministry", Mr Zabini had told. "Her father was a Death Eater – got himself killed in that battle – but it is hardly fair to blame that on her. I heard she applied for nearly all the Departments, but no chance. They even told her if she hadn't been in Slytherin, they might have considered her."

"Yes, it's a shame what Slytherin has become known for", Damian's father had agreed. "It is not like all Slytherins were Death Eaters, it was well possible to stay neutral during the war, as we all probably know best. And still, even my sister Daphne couldn't get into auror training after Hogwarts! She fought on their side in the war – Merlin knows what possessed her to do it – and they still don't trust her."

Then, Mr Zabini had suddenly eyed Damian. "I heard you have high reaching ambitions? You want to become a lawyer?" Damian could only nod.

"Better hope you don't end up in Slytherin, then", Mr Zabini had laughed. "They will never trust a Slytherin to act in the name of the law. You might ask the hat for Ravenclaw, that should fit well with your future career. Even Hufflepuff would be an option, justice being one of their best qualities."

"I think Ravenclaw would be perfect", his mother Lisa had said then. She had been in Ravenclaw during her time at Hogwarts.

And now Damian stood there, awaiting his Sorting. He was sure that he wanted to become a lawyer after Hogwarts. His father had taken him to the see the Wizengamot once, and he had heard about the dementors, and he thought that a trial like this could hardly be considered fair. The accused at least had the right to a good lawyer defending them.

_Maybe I should hold onto that_, he thought. That was a Hufflepuff way of thinking.

The Sorting had begun, and it wasn't long until Damian's name was called.

"Greengrass, Damian!" He walked up at the front and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on his head, sliding down to his face.

"Aha! You're an ambitious one, aren't you?" the hat called out. _I want to be a lawyer_, Damian thought. _I already read up on the legal requirements and I enjoy studying. My mum was in Ravenclaw_. "So, you think you should be put in Ravenclaw, too?" the hat asked. "No, your way of arguing better fits the cunning of Slytherin." _Please, don't put me in Slytherin_, he begged. _Just choose Hufflepuff then, I really want to be a good lawyer, help people, bring justice_… He could hear the hat laugh slightly. "You're definitely no Hufflepuff! You've got nerve, asking for Hufflepuff! You know, a lot of people have done that in recent years, for fear of being put into Slytherin… - But things need to change." The hat now sounded thoughtful. "You can be great, you know. Revolutionary, even." Damian didn't know what to make of that. "The right house for you is definitely – SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting Hat shouted the last word out for everyone to hear.

When Damian got up from the stool, his legs were shaking. He trotted over to the Slytherin table, where the students clapped for him, but he couldn't help but notice that the applause for the other houses had been louder. As he sat down, he wondered whether all his dreams had just been erased.

* * *

Damian sat in the Slytherin common room, reading a book titled "The History of Wizarding Law in Britain". It was actually kind of interesting, and Damian thought that it was a shame they still had that ghost, Professor Binns, teach History of Magic. A lot of the conflicts that were subject of the class actually had to do with legal aspects – discriminatory laws, changes in the political system. With a more enthusiastic teacher, it might even have been his favourite subject.

"Still not giving up on your dream, are you?" His cousin Scorpius took a seat on the sofa next to him. They were in their second year and had grown rather close.

"Well, like that stupid hat said, I am ambitious. Giving up isn't very Slytherin", Damian replied. Scorpius shrugged.

"I still think it's unfair, though", Damian said. "That those who are most ambitious are given such a disadvantage."

"And others get everything just because their famous", Scorpius said. "I mean, look at Harry Potter. Youngest Head of the Auror Department and the _Daily Prophet_ still thinks he should become the next Minister for Magic."

"But his son Albus is quite nice. Sometimes I think he's a bit embarrassed for his family's fame."

"He's in Gryffindor, though. And look at the big Weasley family – none of them are in Slytherin. But nearly all of us whose parents were in Slytherin ended up here, too."

"Makes you wonder", Damian said, "why the hat usually puts children into their parents' houses. And why some of them end up somewhere else entirely." He thought of Edgar Bones, another Slytherin in his year, whose mother had been a Hufflepuff, and who was clearly unhappy with his house.

Scorpius suddenly laughed. "With all your overthinking everything, I sometimes wonder why you aren't a Ravenclaw."

"The hat said my arguments are very Slytherin. And actually, I think it's right. I mean, I really am ambitious, I know what I want and how to get there, I am making friends with people who can help me with that – Josie May for example, she's in Ravenclaw and her mother's a lawyer. But those are not the only qualities I possess."

"No need for being humble", Scorpius grinned.

"What I want to say is, this Sorting is basically telling people who they should be", Damian explained. "They are being reduced to only some aspects of who they really are. Sometimes I think we should just get rid of it entirely."

* * *

In their third year, a whole Friday afternoon was reserved for talking about the war. All four houses attended the class together. The teachers were of the opinion that they needed to hear an unbiased account of what had really happened. There were still rumours going around, as even many of the adults hadn't understood what exactly had led to Harry Potter defeating Lord Voldemort, and each family told a different tale based on which side they had fought on.

When the Battle of Hogwarts came up, Patrick Robins-Brown, a noisy Gryffindor, interrupted.

"You haven't told how all the Slytherins left before the battle, Professor Longbottom!"

Damian sighed and exchanged a look with Scorpius, who rolled his eyes.

"Well, most of them were still children", Professor Longbottom said. "They had every right to leave. Nobody was forced to fight."

"Yeah, but they all left", Patrick insisted. "My mum even snuck back to fight, even though she was underage."

"Well, my aunt Daphne fought as well", Damian said. "And she was in Slytherin."

Patrick laughed disdainfully. "She probably wanted to check out who wins, so she could be on the right side. I bet she survived without as much as a scar."

"Shut it, Patrick", Rose Weasley suddenly said. "Your prejudice based on house affiliation is not much better than the Death Eaters' pure-blood supremacy."

Patrick shot up from his chair, about to angrily retort something, when Professor Longbottom stopped the argument. "Let's calm down and get back to the subject. For once, family ties don't play a role in this class."

When the long-stretched afternoon was finally over, Damian approached Rose Weasley. She was a Ravenclaw in his year and her parents had played a vital role in Voldemort's defeat.

"I just wanted to thank you for supporting me", he said reluctantly. He half expected her to brush him off. "That was nice."

"No problem. Patrick can be a jerk sometimes. – I'm heading off to the library. Do you want to come?" she added.

"Sure."

They walked along the corridor together.

"You know, it's not Patrick's fault, really", she said apologetically. "His parents are Demelza Robins and Lavender Brown. They–" Damian stopped and she turned around. "Yeah?"

"They're both women's names", Damian said, feeling slightly stupid. "I mean, aren't they?"

Rose lifted an eyebrow. "So?"

Now Damian felt even more stupid. He blushed.

"Anyway", Rose continued. "Demelza lost her best friend in the battle, she was killed by a Death Eater. And Lavender got maimed by Greyback, the werewolf. She barely survived and now she's got scars all over her body and I think she has trouble breathing sometimes… What I want to say is, I can imagine they're pretty bitter about the war and it's kind of carried over to Patrick."

They had reached the library. Rose was panting.

"How do you know all that?" Damian asked silently. She blushed.

"Well, they're family friends. My dad used to date Lavender back in school, and when she got together with Demelza, they reconnected."

"Your mother is pretty high up in the ministry, isn't she?" Damian asked after a short silence. "I've read about it in the _Prophet_. Pushed some really progressive laws forward."

"Yeah, I think it's really cool that she's working to abolish these discriminatory laws. Some of them are hundreds of years old! And mum wants to make sure no muggle-born is ever discriminated against again." Rose seemed genuinely proud of her mother's work.

"I want to be a lawyer", Damian explained. "I've read about some of the old Death Eater trials and I think it's horrible what they did to those people. – I mean, they did some terrible things, there's no denying that", he added. He didn't want Rose to think he was defending Death Eaters. "But still, they were often not yet proven guilty when they stood trial. They didn't have a legal adviser or lawyer, and those dementors were there. Wasn't Sirius Black proven innocent later on? Cases like that could be avoided if the system was reformed and people got real defence lawyers."

Rose was silent.

"I don't want to make a case for the Death Eaters!" Damian added quickly. "And I really admire your mother's work. We have to have fair laws first. But they should apply for Death Eaters as well, I think."

"You're right", Rose agreed. "And that's also why I think the attitude of people like Patrick is problematic. We cannot judge people according to their families or house affiliation."

Damian had to laugh. "That's what I've been saying ever since I got here! I was begging the hat to put me into Ravenclaw, you know… Hufflepuff would've been fine, too. But being a Slytherin, I'm never going to get a job as a lawyer. Most people wouldn't want to be defended by a former Slytherin, and those who would are probably pure-blood traditionalists."

Damian felt as if he was being whiny. But even after nearly three years, he couldn't get over how unfair it was.

"Sometimes I just want to scrap the Sorting and let people do what they want. What good does it do, anyway?" he mumbled.

Rose Weasley looked at him, a fierce expression on her face.

"You know, you're right. Let's get rid of this crap."

* * *

When Damian told Scorpius in their fourth year that he wanted to abolish all four Hogwarts houses, his cousin wasn't convinced.

"Slytherin has a proud history, you know that. And our whole families were in Slytherin. Except for your mother. But generally, that's something we've always held high."

"Do you want to be proud of people like Abraxas Malfoy, who overthrew the first muggle-born Minister?" Damian asked mockingly.

"No, but of our aunt Daphne, for example. And when she fought against Voldemort, she fought for her family and the pride of her house. She actually understood those things a lot better than my father. But she was a Slytherin through and through." Scorpius sighed. "It just seems like you're embarrassed to be a Slytherin."

"I am not!" Damian replied heatedly. "And I'm also not ashamed of my family. But the thing is, I'm not just _a_ Slytherin. I'm so much more than that! You are, too."

"Look, Damian", Scorpius said. "Maybe things will change, now that Lily Potter is in Slytherin. And she's fine with it!"

"I know, she's friends with my sister." His younger sister Cassandra was in the same year as Lily, and also in Slytherin. "I thought you hated the Potters and their fame, Scorp?"

"No, I hate that their fame elevates them to a saint-like status that reduces everyone else to second class citizens. But in this case, it could come in pretty handy. Perhaps Lily can restore Slytherin's reputation! Now that you know the Potters through Cassandra, they might even help you get a job."

"Yeah, but that's not the point", Damian mumbled. Scorpius just didn't get it.

* * *

Damian and Rose sat in the shade of a big tree on the school grounds. They had finished most of their O.W.L. exams and now wanted to work out the details of their plan to abolish the Sorting.

"You're probably going to be the only one who passed History of Magic", Rose said with a sigh.

"It's pretty interesting once you get the hang of it", Damian said. "But I'm not sure I'll pass Arithmancy tomorrow. It's just too much!"

A group of chattering Hufflepuffs from their year passed by, and Damian's gaze followed them for a moment.

"Oi!" Rose exclaimed. "Were you just looking at Martha Creevey's butt?"

"What? No!" He blushed. "What are you thinking of me?"

Rose looked at him amusedly. "Well, I sure as hell _was_ looking. She's really gotten pretty this year."

"You should ask her out once the exams are over", Damian encouraged her. Now it was Rose's turn to blush.

He cleared his throat. "Anyway, it's great that your mum supports us. I got her letter." He fished the parchment out of his bag. "She says she'll make an official statement, if we want her to, saying that the Sorting, although it was once meant to strengthen the students' chore qualities as well as the school's unity, has proven to be deepening an already existing rift in society that she is tackling with her anti-discriminatory laws. She'd say that it's two sides of one medal and that, while it is most important to secure muggle-born rights, this rift can only be overcome if pure-bloods can be sure that they don't have to fear discrimination. As Slytherin is generally seen as the house of pure-blood traditionalists or even 'evil' witches and wizards, the Hogwarts houses should be abolished once and for all."

Rose slowly let out some air. "Yeah…"

Damian nudged her in the side. "What is it? That's great, isn't it?"

"It is, sure. It's what we've worked for these last two years." She sighed. "But she told dad about it during the Easter holidays, and they were arguing, and I think he told Uncle Harry and Uncle George. They're pretty hardcore Gryffindors, although Harry might be able to change his mind, with Lily being in Slytherin. I just think, this idea doesn't really have a lot of support yet."

* * *

Damian wasn't entirely sure breaking into the headmistress' office had been a clever idea. He had followed Rose's advice and asked Lily for help, and somehow, her brother James Potter had managed to get the password from Professor McGonagall. Now they were stalling her to give him some time.

It had taken him a few minutes to find the Sorting Hat, but now that he held it in his hands, he lacked the courage to put it on. He was still angry with the hat's decision to place him into Slytherin, even though he was doing pretty well there. But he would never be able to shake this feeling of his dreams evaporating because of one stinky hat.

Damian pulled himself together and put the hat on his head.

"Damian Greengrass", it said. "I put you in Slytherin." It sounded quite contend with itself.

_Yeah, even though I begged you not to_, Damian thought bitterly.

"So, tell me, where has my decision led you?"

_I want to abolish the Sorting._

"I knew you had a revolutionary in you", the hat replied. "Why are you here?"

_I wanted to hear your opinion_, Damian thought. He actually wasn't really sure, why. Sometimes he had the feeling that the hat had purposefully put him in Slytherin for this exact thing. But sometimes, he thought he just wanted revenge on that piece of cloth for making things extra-hard for him.

"You know, I have been here for over a thousand years" the hat began. "I took pride in my job for a long time, and I took pride in never making a single wrong decision in all this time. I can look into the hearts of young students and put them in the house that suits them best and brings out their qualities. But in doing so, I also set them on a path that will determine their lives forever.

"The Wizarding World has seen a lot of wars in recent years. And the rifts that were created in society – that had probably always been there but were often hidden – spilled over into Hogwarts. Wizarding families were often proud of their families' houses, and I tended to, and still do, put children into their parents' houses. Blood purity had always been one aspect of Slytherin qualities, but I considered it to be a minor one. Many traditionally Slytherin families had adopted these ideals, however, and taught them to their children, and as pure-blood supremacy gained importance and the wizard known as Lord Voldemort came to power, all this led to the fact that his most fervent supporters had all been sorted into Slytherin. As you know, there were Slytherins that opposed him. But it is hard to stand up against those you were taught to consider family, and protect people that had taunted you for being in the one house at Hogwarts they dubbed 'evil'.

"All this prejudice, all this hate, has played its role in bringing about the Second Wizarding War. A lot of people died, and for those who survived, it is hard to forgive something like this. For some, it might be impossible.

"The qualities that the different houses represent are never the only qualities a student possesses. I could well have put you in Ravenclaw – you're clever and studious and would have made good friends there. And you were right – your sense of justice would have fit well with Hufflepuff, and sneaking up here takes the recklessness of a Gryffindor. I thought that this was evident. I thought the different emphases of the four houses would bring people together and that they would complement each other, so that in the end, everyone would prosper. But I deceived myself.

"So, when you put me on, I saw promise in you. You had this one dream that you would do anything to achieve. And I knew that, as the prestigious house of Slytherin was in decline, putting you there would seriously jeopardize your plans for the future. So, of course I could not be sure, but I hoped that in the end, you would arrive at the conclusion that the Sorting itself was the problem. That it would have to be abolished. It has taken me a thousand years and several wars to arrive at that point. You can be proud you got there in less than six."

Damian's head was swimming from all the information. All along, the hat had known. It had wanted him to arrive here. Did it want to be abolished?

"I think you got yourself into trouble, Damian Greengrass", the hat suddenly said lightly. _What?_ Damian thought.

"Mr Greengrass, _what_ are you doing in my office?" Damian gave a start as he heard the sharp voice of Professor McGonagall. He took off the hat.

"P-p-professor…" he stuttered. He blushed, but felt at the same time that he had every right to be here. He took a deep breath.

"I think we ought to abolish the Sorting."

Professor McGonagall stared at him.

"Well, you can explain to me what exactly you mean by that during detention, Mr Greengrass."

* * *

Damian stood in front of the staff table, Rose by his side, facing the students. It was Hallowe'en in their seventh and last year at Hogwarts and the two of them were to hold a speech to encourage the students to take part in debates on how best to abolish the four houses.

They had started similar debates during the previous school year, which had been a mess, but had also provided some insight into how many of the students were thinking. Rose and he had developed a survey for everyone to take part in, which had been distributed some weeks before the summer holidays. It had taken them the best part of the summer to evaluate it.

Professor McGonagall had, to Damian's surprise, voiced her support. She had organised staff meetings, where Rose and he had explained their reasoning, and where, for the first time, Damian had realised the consequences this could actually have.

What would they do with the dormitories and the common rooms? How could the classes be organised? How would the school uniform change? Would there still be Quidditch?

They had also taken the debate outside the school. Damian had given an interview for the _Daily_ _Prophet_. His family had received a lot of mail in the process, a lot of which wasn't favourable. Hermione Weasley had added her voice and written a few articles for the _Prophet_ in which she used statistics to explain the negative impact the Sorting had overall. Then, to everyone's surprise, Harry Potter had voiced his support, too. He openly admitted how biased he himself had been towards Slytherin, but that he owed his life to some Slytherins, first and foremost Severus Snape and Narcissa Malfoy (which confused Damian maybe more than anything).

Conforming with Professor McGonagall, Rose and Damian had agreed that the students needed to be involved in the decision-making process. So now here they stood, inviting everyone to take part.

Damian took a deep breath. He thought back to the Sorting Hat's words. This was his chance. He could be great. _Revolutionary, even_.


End file.
